Daly Focus Blog
This holiday season, give yourself a special gift: take a deep breath, relax, and laugh at yourself.
When I think of seeing the funny side of life, I think of Bill who wanted to cook his family the greatest Thanksgiving meal ever. Instead of a traditional dinner from the kitchen oven, he decided to cook the turkey on his new grill outside, a fancy built-in connected to the house’s gas line. He spent weeks planning the menu, and when the big day arrived, he executed it flawlessly.
Saturday night’s horrific shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs exposes the evil and wickedness inside the human heart.
We must condemn in the strongest terms possible the taking of innocent life. Our hearts break for those families who have lost loved ones and who are suffering this unimaginable tragedy. We pray for them. And now the work turns to law enforcement who are tasked with investigating and determining the motive behind this senseless violence.
We pray for peace and for the welfare of our city.
Do you have a “barely enough” marriage?
If so, would you like to have one that is “filled to the brim”?
Those metaphors come to life in John 2:1-11, which tells the story of Jesus’ miracle at the wedding at Cana. A man who was hosting a marriage celebration ran out of wine. At the urging of his mother, Jesus instructed the servants to fill six stone jars with water, each holding 20 to 30 gallons.
Marriages everywhere are at risk because of one of the most powerful drugs known to man – called infatuation.
Maybe you don’t think of infatuation as a drug. But Dave Carder, who has spent the past 30 years studying the causes of infidelity, says infatuation is as powerful as any substance out there.
If you think that’s overstated, consider this: when someone walks away from their family for an affair, you probably ask yourself: “What were they thinking?”
According to Dave, they weren’t thinking.
Our guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “How a Dysfunctional Street Kid Became a Disciple of Jesus” is Greg Stier, an evangelist, author, and the founder of Dare2Share, a youth evangelism and leadership training ministry.
Greg’s life story is an amazing tale of how the Lord worked through his toxic upbringing to draw him to Christ.
Greg grew up in a community in northern Denver that was a tinderbox of racial tension, and where fights, gunshots, and knifings were common.
Few experiences are as comforting and connecting as a family gathered around the Thanksgiving table. Fellowship with family and giving thanks to God for His many blessings are things we look forward to in the Daly household every year.
But the holidays weren’t like that for me growing up. My mother died when I was young and my stepfather abandoned me and my siblings, so Thanksgiving was anything but a peaceful family holiday. Mostly I remember feeling disconnected from everything that was happening around me.
If you have a hard time facing Mondays, your problem may be a lack of purpose.
Behavioral researcher John Calhoun performed an experiment with mice that was designed to study the effects of overpopulation. He set up a biosphere that was essentially a Garden of Eden for rodents. They were given everything they needed to thrive: shelter, open space to run and play, and unlimited food and water. Even their bedding was routinely changed to provide an ideal nesting environment for baby mice.
On this Veterans Day, I would like to pay tribute to a dear friend, a former longtime Focus on the Family board member, and a remarkable man who embodies the motto of the Marine Corps, Semper Fidelis – “Always faithful.”
Tony Wauterlek, now 85, served for five years as a captain in the United States Marine Corps. A pilot with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, he flew jet fighters between 1960 and 1965.
It might surprise you to learn that until Tony signed up to serve following his graduation from the University of Illinois, he had never flown in an airplane.
What’s your ideal image of the perfect parent?
Is it a mom pulling fresh-baked cookies out of the oven right as her children come home from school?
Is it a dad in the yard with a couple of baseball mitts and a ball, inviting his son to come out and play?
Or maybe you imagine someone who’s never too busy, who never raises their voice, and who never gets annoyed or distracted.
Authors Brandon and Analyn Miller remember a season of their parenting when nothing seemed to get them closer to their ideal vision of parenting despite access to an abundance of advice and parenting resources.
Most self-help advice focuses on the future – on what will be. Set goals. Plan ahead. Dream of where you wish you were instead of where you are.
Those are great ideas but let me share just one word of caution: don’t focus so intently on your future that you forget to be engaged right here, right now. This moment may never come again.
The importance of appreciating the moment is illustrated in the life of Wally Pipp, a man you probably won’t recognize unless you’re a major league baseball historian.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
